Howard presses on with plan for reform

Michael Howard today defied backbench criticism by promising to press ahead with controversial reforms of the Conservative party.

Mr Howard published a 20-page consultation document A 21st-Century Party, setting out a root-and-branch overhaul of the party's structure.

But the Tory leader faced a growing revolt as MPs say they are being bounced into reforms which will see a massive transfer of power to the leadership.

The changes proposed include:

In the foreword to the document, party chairman Francis Maude gave a grim analysis of the Tories' prospects.

"For all the advances we have made we cannot hide how far we have to go," he writes. "We have too few activists, too few qualified agents, our resources are not concentrated in the right areas and in some parts of the country our organisation has collapsed altogether."

Mr Maude set out a number of goals for the party, including increasing membership to 300,000 by the end of the year, increasing the support from black and ethnic minority communities and a new unit to attack the Liberal Democrats.

The document sets out the values of the Conservative party. It says: "We commit ourselves to the highest standards of integrity, honesty and financial probity.

"We agree a national party, committed to serving the entire nation, open to and respectful of everyone in Britain."

But the document also includes contentious plans to discipline MPs who disagree with the leadership. In addition to giving the leader a place on the party board for the first time, it would also allow him or her to take action against MPs who clash with the leadership.

Mr Howard promised the party board would consider all responses before the proposed changes were put to a vote at the end of September.

But backbench MPs were openly scathing about the way the changes were being forced upon them.

Former frontbencher Damian Green, MP for Ashford, led calls for Mr Howard to stand aside, saying: "Once he has said he is going to retire then authority starts ebbing away."

David Wilshire, the MP for Spelthorne, said MPs were not happy at being "bounced into something".